I feel like there is a lot of stigma attached to vocal injury, since it is associated with having bad technique. However, athletes still get injured even if they have excellent technique.

@shakiel6866

4 жыл бұрын

so so so true

@Jessica-bp6lc

4 жыл бұрын

Especially hemorrhages do not seem to correlate to technique issues.

@IsabelMeyer

4 жыл бұрын

My singing teacher was having a conversation with us about this, whether or not we should normalize vocal injuries the same way we normalize injuries with athletes

@aaronnewman7573

4 жыл бұрын

+ bad technique or not, vocal injuries can be devastating. we just need to have more empathy

@jenniferhiemstra5228

4 жыл бұрын

Isabel Meyer We should. When a dancer gets injured they’ll get their rest time with almost no problem. Singers for too long have had to fight for ours. Our vocal folds ARE muscles, just like any other and as such, can also get injured. It’s the stigma of, because it’s not one of our five appendages or core, too many seems to think it’s not a real. A muscle is a muscle.

people really don’t understand that when we lose our voices our whole world is over, but thank you for showing that it’s not Natalie 💙

I felt like I was on the edge of my seat watch this video! As a singer and teacher myself, I couldn’t imagine the fear of not having access to my voice. I’m so glad you took care of yourself! No shame around vocal injuries! It can happen to anyone! 💗

You're wonderful. Vulnerability is strength 👍🌷 thank you for sharing

@shahinessayah

3 жыл бұрын

Yes singers support singers 😍

I’m soo glad you got though this. Sending you my love. Stay stafe xxx

@100ksubswithnovidsletsgeti4

4 жыл бұрын

Honest Vocal Coach hello!!!! I love your channel

THANK YOU, Natalie! Classical singer and voice teacher here and a big fan of yours. When successful singers like you "come out" about voice injuries, you change the culture of shame and silence for all of us. Brava!

As a future speech therapist/throat specialist and as a fan I say this: PLEASE continue to take of that voice so you can bring these AMAZING moments. I love you, and love your GIFT! It takes a lot of courage to tell everybody about vocal injuries, specially when you are a vocal coach. I'm glad it's all good and healthy!

when she started “act” crying, I really thought she was really crying. Unless she was really crying, that acting is amazing

@spyrootur2013

3 жыл бұрын

she’s an actress

I literally gasped so loudly when you said "haemorrhage." I was totally not expecting that. I'm so glad you're better now!!

between 2017 - 2018 i lost my voice for a WHOLE YEAR, from August 2017 to September 2018. Don't know why. I saw different doctors, i was so inflamed and swollen that my vocal chords couldn't properly stretch or vibrate past a certain point, but no doctor knew the cause of this inflammation.I tried everything but nothing worked. I've been singing since i was 3 i think, and from the age of 13 I sing everyday. Some days for hours if I'm recording something complex, and I've never lost my voice, never had nodules. I was devastated, I had more than 1 octave completely gone, above F4 it was just air, and singing easy notes like Cs or Ds would take extreme effort. Singing is my whole life and i had to learn how to live a life without singing. One day my voice simply came back, out of nowhere. In august 2017 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, i think the stress caused this. Don't know why telling my story could mean something, but I wanted to share lol For singers singing is not just a hobby, is life.

@yourmajesty7604

4 жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry to hear that. I wouldn't know what to do if I were in your situation. I'm worried because I feel like my larynx is moving unnecessarily too much. Even when I'm talking normally. I'm scared that it might take a toll on my voice. 😥

@lukeprimmer6780

4 жыл бұрын

This happened to me! I had to quit singing professionally for almost 2 years. Then suddenly it came back, I was in tears PRAYING literally praying to God that my voice never leaves me again, I've been working hard and it's now stronger than ever!

@shaghayegh5711

4 жыл бұрын

Dude thank u for sharing, i honestly need to feel like its not only me and i'll get better and my life is not over by losing my ability to sing, wish u and ur mother health🙏

@emilyroblyn9748

4 жыл бұрын

I lost my voice (a whole octave from it!) last year and had to have 6 weeks of vocal rest. It was terrifying and shook my whole world and my whole identity. And it was, without doubt, an impact of grief. I lost my father shockingly and suddenly the year before and had to go back to work (singing), but I was forcing myself to sing through the shock and grief that was in my body which caused so much tension, which I again I forced myself to sing through. Unconsciously I wasn't using my diagram and I was not letting my larynx go into the "cry position" or tilt because I knew if I did I might not make it through the session... It took a lot of gentleness, softening and going back to basics (and if I'm honest, crying) to come back to my voice again.

@kiid2228

3 жыл бұрын

Wow we have very similar stories. I started about the same time as you but had vocal issues from 16-19 Sounds like you may have had severe acid reflux. I had that and could barely talk for about 1-3 years. I feel ya bro it sucks.

when you said "i need to pull you out for two shows" my first reaction was "yes girl, like a football player you are injured lose two shows of the season get better" very happy you mentioned it later, performers are athletes

5:22 both those riffs still sounded great though lol.

This story is heart breaking, I don't know how I'd have got through this

OMG ... thank you so much for posting this and being so transparent.. this is very helpful !!

Omg, I'm glad that you got through it! You are like my favorite singer and vocal teacher, take care!

You’re too awesome 🖤 thank you for sharing with us, Natalie!!

Yes! Congratulations on getting through that! Thank you for sharing your story

I’m honestly really proud of you and how you stayed strong during such a hard time ❤️

You are so strong! Thank you for sharing this with your fellow singers Natalie!!

thank you!!!!! shedding light on mariah's situation too 🥺🥺

Thanks for sharing your story! It’s so important to hear stories like this and remind yourself that you haven’t done anything wrong if this happens to you. So glad you’re back and blessing us with your beautiful voice! Xx

It’s so important to hear messages like this. Thank you for being vulnerable. Thank you for posting.

You are literally such an inspiration! Been a fan for a really long time! Glad you’re better! Rock on.

Glad you were able to recover, me and my wife would totally miss your singing and training, Love your videos.

I really needed to hear this. Thank you so much.

So glad to hear you’re doing well and moved through the injury with grace, vulnerability and resilience. Musicians are absolutely athletes! Thanks so much for sharing.

Thank you for sharing this. This is very encouraging and mind opening for us singers!

Thanks for sharing this Natalie!! So brave of you!

Thank you for sharing your vocal journey!!! #endthestigmaofvocalinjury

thank you for sharing, very brave and strong of you. glad to hear you're on the mend now. we love you x

So happy you are okay. Thank you for sharing your story. You are such an inspiration! ❤️💜

Your voice is my medicine! So glad you're fine now! Btw the makeup looks really nice on you :)

I'm so glad that you've recovered! You have an incredible voice and I've learned SO much from your videos. Vocal injuries are super scary and I hope you never have to go through anything like that again!

Natalie, you are amazing in every way. Thank you for sharing and I am so happy you got through the challenges.

This was so inspiring and I'm so glad you're okay!

Ugh thank you so much for talking about this Natalie! I have the exact same fear...literally anything shifts and I'm worried I'll never sing again. It sounds so intense that you had to go through this, it must have been so stressful but I'm glad you came out stronger the other side. Sending you so much love X

Thank you for this! It's so scary to get vocal injuries. I just finished my final year in a music theatre performance program and right before our auditions for our final shows AND our showcase for agents I got bronchitis and could barely speak. I even sprained a rib coughing! Recovery time sucks so much, but if you give it your full attention and take it seriously, you can get back to normal, and it felt so good when I did ❤️ I'm so glad you caught it and recovered so quickly too. Love listening to you sing! 😊

You’re in an inspiration! Thank God you’re fully recovered! The world 🌎 needs your voice! Be well always! Blessings 🙏

Thank you for sharing. This is so important! I'll never forget ""We are athletes as singers." Truth!

thank you for being so honest with us, Natalie! don't forget to take care of yourself. the world needs your voice and so do we.

Thank you so much for sharing your story Natalie!

Thank you for sharing your storie, Natalie, and helping to end the stigma around vocal injuries! You are a champion.

I've honestly been too scared to go in and get my voice checked out, and I've been doing the exact same things you did. Coming up with SO MANY bizarre excuses especially during rehearsals of my show in February- the weather, the room, my diet. This is a wake up call 😂. I'll schedule an appointment as soon as quarantine is over.

@LaurenOsborn

4 жыл бұрын

But use lockdown as an excuse to go on vocal rest for a week. I will be amazed if you don't see any changes. Honestly its amazing. Do not speak, or make any sound at all from your voice, or drink caffeine or alcohol or smoke for 4 days and see how u feel after (go slowly the first day back speaking!) X

Natalie that's so emotional u literally made me cry, I'm so happy ure good now! oh Gosh this seems like a tough time to go through and also made me think that I should sing more carefully and take care of my voice. hope you're staying safe too ✨✨

Appreciate you Natalie! Thank you for opening up about this. Knowing how hard vocal injuries are, not only physically but almost more so mentally, it's nice to be reminded sometimes that we are not the only person in the world who has dealt with them, and that there can be a light at the end injury of the tunnel

OMG this is so helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this & happy you're back in action!

I’m so sorry that happened to you, losing your voice is the SCARIEST thing, I lost my voice 100% right before our opening night for putnam county spelling bee and i was playing chip and olives dad, so the two most high belty obnoxious characters in the show and when it started all i could do was cry. My voice and singing has been something that has literally saved my life and I get depressed thinking about life without singing. So on top of my already rough mental state i new we were opening the show in 2 days but! my vocal teacher gave me throat coat and i was silent for those 2 days and out of some miracle my voice was perfect opening night, I went from having no voice to hitting a C5 in Pandemonium (one of the best songs in the show tbh) but it really does go to show how staying completely silent for a few days can really do wonders for a voice. MUCH LOVE !! you are so brave for sharing this with us and I hope you never have to experience something like that again 💕💕💕💕

Thank you for sharing that with us. It's very important to take care of our instrument. And I am soooo happy that you're better!

Amazingly i stayed and finished your video. Such a great talker.

Thank you for sharing your story! As singers or musical performers we have to accept that injuries can happen. You ‘re great Natalie! Love from Italy ❤️🇮🇹

This was such a beneficial story to hear. You are absolutely incredible and such an inspiration to me. I am more than happy to have heard your story. Thank you so much for sharing!

You have no idea how much I needed to hear this today xx

Omg thank you for this feedback, I learned 2 months ago that i have some vocal issues, i'm a singer and I teach singing too. I was thinking that i will never get back my voice and never be able to teach ! Your message gives me hope again, thank you for that :) ! I'm glad you recovered your beautiful and amazing voice. Kiss from France :)

Thank you for sharing and I'm so glad you healed in a relatively short period of time. I had vocal nodules years ago that took months to heal. I cried when I could finally sing at my highest register again. Love your videos!

Thank you for being so vulnerable with us. I’m sure that this was a difficult experience for you, I can’t even imagine. I am so happy that you made a full recovery. You’re incredible, Natalie. We love you ♥️♥️

Thank you so much for sharing, Natalie. Your vulnerability and advice are appreciated

Natalie: thank you for sharing this. It is really REALLY helpful and necessary to talk about this subject. Thank you

Thanks for sharing - glad you're back to being well!

Thank you for your sincerity on this subject! Means a lot to us fellow singers. Good luck 🍀

Thank you so much for sharing!! And there’s definitely no shame you or anyone should feel about this. Although, of course it’s so so scary. I’m so glad your chords are back to normal :)

Thank you for sharing, you are a true professional and teacher ❤️

Thank you so much for sharing this. I am in CONSTANT fear of a vocal injury even though I am singing properly, so to hear that you made it through this is so reassuring. I am so happy your voice is back to normal❤️ again, thank you for sharing this

This is the MOST HELPFUL VIDEO EVER. Thank you so much for sharing. Being that you are a voice teacher, it’s so so important that you tell us these things and expose us to this kind of information about all vocal possibilities, and it was very brave of you to do so. Thank you, I’m glad you’re doing well now :)

thank you for sharing this, you can't believe how uplifting this was

Thank you for posting this. Your story is really inspiring. I'm a pianist and I injured my hand and it still isn't better. I'm really worried about my career. But hearing others go through similar things gives me hope.

Thank you so, SO much for sharing this story! Back when I was in high school, I started having some vocal issues (scratchy throat, hoarseness, etc.) and I was TERRIFIED I would lose my voice forever. On top of that, my parents refused to pay for voice lessons so that and any kind of visit to an ENT was out of the question. I have a lot of anxiety and always jump to the worst conclusion, so of course I made myself sick worrying and thinking I would soon never sing again. Jump forward to now and I have been able to finally invest in my own voice lessons. I feel so confident with my voice, and now I understand that injuries can happen, and it is all about balance and respecting your body. No need to immediately worry and think the world is ending, just take care of yourself and do what you can to heal! I’m glad to hear your voice is back to 100% Natalie. Keep killing it!

YES QUEEN! Thanks for sharing your story with us

That was so sensitive and humble... Is really brave to talk about this topic as a singer.

Thank you so much for sharing this. It helps me learn a lot as a singer and rare countertenor.

Thank You sooooo much for sharing this. I wish more singers shared stories like this. I also had some similar vocal issues and it all came to a head 2 years ago when i found out i had to have surgery and was scared that i would never sing again or that my voice would be completely different. I had the surgery Jan 2019 and even though everything went great I completely lost my confidence with my voice and I didn't sing again until March of this year. Hearing you talk about how your voice is literally everything is how a lot of us singers feel, i unfortunately couldn't get over my fears quick enough but I tell all my friends that sing to take care of their instruments and to always trust their body, if something feels off get checked. Thank You again!! ❤️

i'm so sorry you had to go through this😩glad you are better now!! you're the best ❤️

Thank you for your honesty, you're awesome!!!

I can tell this wasn’t easy to talk about. I commend your vulnerability with us. Thank you for making this video, Natalie 💗

natalie!!! Brava to you for sharing this!!! It will be so helpful for so many singers. Glad to hear you are well now...thank you for sharing!!!!!

Thank you so much for sharing Natalie, I admire you now even more than ever and I'll always look up to you as a singer and a teacher, one of the very few great ones...love from Argentina!

I had a big vocal injury 20 years ago as an actor. I got a surgery on my vocal cords. The doctor said to me: you must find a very good voice teacher if you want to keep working as an actor. Luckily, life puts Lucette Tremblay in my life, a very great teacher in Montreal. We worked together 2 to 3 times a week at the beginning. I literally had to relearned how to speak, because my “technique” was really wrong… Not only was I able to play again as an actor, but I also became an opera and musicals singers! So yes, injury’s happened, and sometimes, if you take time to see why it happened, it can be for the best! Love your work Natalie, thanks for sharing that! :)

Thank you for sharing all these processes! I am really impressed 🙏🏻♥️♥️

I'm literally SO HARD ON MYSELF when I'm not at 100%, so hearing you say this was really reassuring as a performer! Thank you for that

Thank you for sharing your story so grateful you're better and please believe me YOURE A BADASS SUPERWOMAN the bravery to not only share with us but to have gone through that and come out the other side with a new outlook so proud to be following such an example of a human thank you Natalie hope you stay safe and healthy too cant wait to see you perform anywhere live again ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Thank you SO much for sharing all of this.

Thank you for sharing your story! Very impactful and really relatable when it comes to the feeling of not being able to sing at your best. I have vasovagal too and I feel a lot better knowing I have this in common with one of the best singers out there!

Thank you so much for sharing this. What you described your voice as when you were younger sounds just like what I’m going through. I used to have no head voice, just air, and then I developed it but all of the sudden in the past couple of months, my voice is producing two notes at the same time, the technique that has always worked for me doesn’t feel right, I feel out of control of my voice. It’s so so scary, especially now because I’m a senior about to go to college for MT, and I can’t get to a doctor because of the lockdown. It’s comforting to know someone as talented as you has gone through this and to hear that it’s not necessarily my fault. I would LOVE to hear you talk more about vocal health in the future!

Thank you for sharing this. Very insightful. Much love from the UK 🇬🇧

Thank you for sharing! I "sang through" some vocal tiredness and strain over a longer period of time and ended up finding out I had nodules and a cyst. I had to have surgery, two weeks of complete silence, months of quiet and plenty of speech pathology and vocal training. It made me so appreciative of being able to sing pain-free and much more mindful of proper care and technique. Glad you have found a rhythm of recovery!

Thank you for sharing. Vocal teachers talk about being careful and taking care of the voice but no one ever explains what actually happens if you don't. Thank you for the description. I've heard singers being called vocal athletes but now have an appreciation for what that means from your description and how to better rest the voice. So glad you got through that ok.

I'm really glad you decided to share this Nat. It exposes you, yes, but in a good and human way, but it is also a service you're doing to not only singers but people who work in any way with their voices! I'm sorry you went through all of that, and THANK YOU for sharing your story. I knew vocal rest was good, but didn't know HOW good. Those folds deserve so much pampering!!! 😂❤️🌟

I'm so happy that you got through this Natalie.

Thank you for sharing Natalie - learnt a lot from this - much love 💕

Insane that you went through that!!! I'd absolutely die if it happened to me. I'm so glad you were able to heal in time for the premier.

Thank you for sharing! We all completely understand your freak out and near melt down. I panic sometimes when my allergies are flaring that I'll never sing again and I'm not even a pro.

thank you so much for sharing! I can relate. By sharing your story, you help others and that is why we are here. You are just fabulous.

I also just want to say thank you for sharing. It's good and important to get the big (and smaller) stories out there. I've also had some voice injury due to overworking my voice. We heal, if we take care

wowwwww, loved this video. so glad you're feeling better. I can't imagine how scary that must be. Our vocals are literally our identity

Gripping and relatable. Thanks for sharing it. You've encouraged me to get checked out. I've had bad whooping cough and then corona and my voice just isn't getting better.

Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm so glad I saw this video. I knew something wasnt right a few months ago and went to my doctor to be on the waiting list to see a specialist ENT. I'm still waiting but I definitely carry a lot of shame around my voice, around singing and just constantly feel inadequate or like I've peaked. So thank you for affirming the light at the end of it all💖

Thankyou so much for sharing! I'll be sharing this with my students for sure :)

I FEEL YOU QUEEN! I have been through a similar situation three times in my life. Thank God it wasn't an injury, but a simple laryngitis HOWEVER, I am exactly like you, feeling I cannot sing anymore and therefore the stress is always unbearable. It is so so important for us when we go through such phases to have support from our work environment. We are athletes, we can get hurt and still have to perform. And that is why it is so essential to have understudies. I do this job in country where this word is unknown, unfortunately. Thank you for sharing this with us. You are an incredible person, performer, being!! Leto from Greece xxx

Natalie, thank you so much for sharing! Reminding ourselves as vocal athletes that injuries are normal and need rest and care is so important. 💗

@WendyHillhouse1

4 жыл бұрын

No! injuries are NOT normal! They may be common, but not normal!!!

Thanks for your story Natalie. I once had to stay completely silent for 2 weeks and it still didn’t heal properly. And I was in Studio Mode. It just makes you feel so depressed when you feel you cannot control this better. Silence is great! And NO AIR it makes it worse!! 😊😉

Wow, I really applaud your honesty and vulnerability in sharing your experience. Having a strong support system can make such a difference in how one processes something like this. As a professional singer, I completely empathize with all the rollercoaster feelings that came up. Hearing your story is inspiring for me as I always think that I've "lost it" when anything goes wrong vocally. I think you are going to help a lot of other singers who have experienced anything like this. Thank you for sharing your story. I think you are a great singer and teacher and incredibly brave.